Mechanical rack



June l, 1937. Q A. ANDERSON 2,082,236

MECHANICAL. RACK Filed March 9, 1936 m l W I3 I i lo N Il E 30 go )o`.ea J? a 'ai as 3,

36- wir z5 f 30 7 W m.

l? I6 l .l5 0M 7 INVENTOR.

a 7 Gust A. Anderson 32 g3 al BY(-I Patented `lune l, 1937 'Y UNITEDSTAT-Es PATENT OFFICE y 3 Claims.

'Ihe principal object of my invention is to provide a mechanical rackthat can more successfully show and display items placed upon it.

More specically, the object of this invention is to provide a mechanicalrack having motor driven rotatably mounted tray shelf portions.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a mechanical rackthat is economical in manufacture, quiet in operation, and durable in luse.

These and other objects will 'be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the various parts l of the device, whereby the objects contemplatedare attained as hereinafter more fully setvforth, pointed out in myclaims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of my mechanical rack ready for use Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the mechanical rack.

Fig. 3 is a side-sectional view of my mechanical rack and more fullyillustrates its construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side-sectional view of one of the shelf portions.

Racks of this nature are usually hung or stood in the corner of a room."They are used to display a great variety of items and are usually socrowded with such items that it is diiiicult for the observer tosuccessfully see all of the items without removing them from theshelves. I have overcome these objections as will hereinafter beappreciated. Y

Referring to the drawing, I have used the numeral I0 to designate anordinary corner rack having shelves II, i2, and I3. It is such a rackthat I transform into a mechanical one. The numeral I4 designates amotor housing just be low the bottom shelf I3. In this housing I mount aprime mover I5 such as a small low speed electric motor. The numeral I6Vdesignates a small worm gear on the drive shaft ofthe motor I5. 'I'henumeral I1 designates a vertical shaft extending upwardly from insidethe motor housing through the shelf I3 and the shelf I2, as shown inFig. 3. 'I'.his shaft I'l is rotatably mounted and has its lower endrotatably extending into the bearing member I8 inside the motor housing.

5o The numeral I9 designates a comparatively large disc worm gearrigidly xed on the shaft Il, inside the housing Y I4 and in engagementwith the worm gear I6. By this arrangement whenthemotoristurningtheshaftIlwillbe 55 rotated very slowly. Obviously, any means of reducing thespeed of rotation of the shaft I'l relative to the speed of rotation ofthe motor may be used. The numeral 20 designates a bearing collar on theshaft I1.

The numeral 2l designates a tray plate ele- 5 .Y

ment having its marginal edge bent upwardly and its center portionloosely embracing the shaft I1 and resting on the bearing collar 2li.'I'his tray 2| is positioned just above the shelf I3. 'Ihe numeral 22designates a. bar embedded 10 in the upper surface of the shelf I2. Thisshaft Il extends through this bar. The numeral 23 designates a gearwheel rigidly secured to the top of the shaft I1 and resting just abovethe bar 22. The numeral 24 designates a vertical 15 post on the bar 22.The numeral 25 designates a vertical shaft having its lower end looselyembracing the post 24 and its upper end extending through the shelf Il.The numeral 26 designates a gear wheel rigidly secured on the lower 20end of the shaft 25 and in engagement with the gear wheel 23. The bar 22is so embedded in the shelf I2 that the top surfaces of the gear wheels23 and 26 are substantially flush with thevtop plane of the shelf I2.The numeral 21 desig- 25 natesa tray plate having its marginal edge bentupwardly and its center portion loosely embracing the shaft 25 andresting on the gear wheel 2B. Obviously, my device may be continuedupwardly to take care of any number of 30 shelves of a rack of thisnature. In the drawing, however, I show only a three-shelf mechanicalrack. The shelf II, the same as the shelf I2, has an embedded bar whichI have designated as 22'. Also, on the upper end of 35 the shaft 25 is agear wheel 23', the same as is on the top of the shaft I1. This bar 22'and adjacent parts are the same as that of the construc- I tion shown inFig. 4. There-is a post, a shaft 29 rotatably moimted on it, and a gearwheel 28' on 40 the shaft and in engagement with the gear wheel 22'. Asthe shelf II is the uppermostshelf, the shaft 29 is only a stub shaftfor the tray plate 28 positioned just above the shelf I I, the same asthe tray plate 21 is just above the shelf I2. 45

The numeral 30 designates a detachable cotter key above each tray plateextending through the shaft around which each tray plate extends.'I'hese cotter keys prevent the upward sliding movement of the trayplates on their shafts. Racks of this nature usually have their shelvesdecreasing in area as they progress upwardly. When this is the situationthe post 24 of each shelf is set rearwardly on the shelf relative to theupper gear wheel on the next lower shaft.

This properly positions the tray plates on each of the shelves. Thesetray plates obviously decrease in diameter relative to each other asthey Jprogress upwardly.- The vertical shafts are pre-v vented fromupward sliding movement by their upper ends operatively engaging theunder side of the tray plate above them. Their downward sliding movementis limited by the bar and post.

The numeral 3l designates an electric lead line leading to the motor l5with the switch 32 imposed in the line. This switch 32 is located o nthe mechanical rack just below the housing I4. The numeral 33 designatesa resilient padding of cloth, leather, or like covering the insidebottoms of each of the tray plates.

To operate the device it is merely necessary to have the line 3| incommunication with a suitable source of electric current and turn theswitch 32 on. With the motor running the tray plates 2|, 21, and 28 willslowly rotate, thereby properly and successfully displaying and showingitems set on the tray'plates. To stop the rotation of the plates it ismerely necessary to turn the switch 32 off.

l The items on the tray plates will be held against undesirable slidingmovement by the covering 33. r

In many instances it is desirable to light the shelves and especiallywhen the mechanical rack ls in a dark corner. In'my mechanical rack Ihave a bar board 34 enclosing its inner corner the entire length of themechanical rack. This bar board supports the light sockets and the lightbulbs 35 and provides, with the mechanical rack corner, a passageway:for the electric leadline 36 which is electrically connected toV thebulbs and the line 3l below the switch 32.

The numeral 31 designates a switch in the line 36. To turn the lights onor off it is merely necessary to actuate the switch 31. A light bulb 35may be positioned above each shelf.

Some changesmay be made in the construction and arrangement of myimproved mechanical rack without departing from the real spirit andpurpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claimsany modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents whichmay be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, two horizontal shelves one abovethe other, a bar on each of said shelves, a vertical post von each ofsaid bars, two vertical shafts having their lower ends journaled on saidtwo posts, respectively, a gear wheel on the lower end of each of saidshafts, a gear wheel on the upper end of one of said shafts inengagement with the gear wheel on the lower end of the shaft above it, atray member on each of said shafts, and a prime mover operativelyconnected to the gear wheel on the lower end of V the lower shaft.

2. In a device of the class described, two horizontal shelves one abovethe other, a bar on each of said shelves, a vertical post on each ofsaid b ars, two vertical shafts having their lower ends journaled onsaid two posts, respectively, a gear wheel on the lower end of each ofsaid shafts, a gear wheel on the upper end of one of said shafts inengagement with the gear wheel on the lower end of the shaft above it, atray member on each of said shafts, and a prime mover operativelyconnected to the gear wheel on the lower end of the lower shaft; saidbars and gear wheels being substantially within the p lane of the shelfthey are adjacent.

3. In a device of the class describedI two horizontal shelves one abovethe other and with the top one having an area substantially less thanthe lower one, a bar on each of said shelves, a vertical post on each ofsaid bars with the upper post positioned back of the vertical plane ofthe lower post, two vertical shafts having their lower ends journaled onsaid two posts, respectively, a gear wheel on the lower end of each ofsaid shafts, a gear wheel on the upper end of one of said shafts inengagement with the gear wheel on the lower end of the shaft above it, atray member on each of said shafts, and a prime mover operativelyconnected to the gear wheel on the lower end of the lower shaft.

GUST A. ANDERSON.

